Return of a Legend
by Redrogue17
Summary: An AU of season 2. A mad man has destroyed the ninja and is taking over Ninjago bit by bit. Now, five years later, destiny of bad luck as brought five new, albeit reluctant, heroes to take up the mantle of the ninja and save their home. Surprise inside, if you can figure it out. Most charcters are OCs.
1. The Way of Rebellion I

**Enjoy. I own only plot and OCs.**

* * *

"You know, you're not a hero."

The girl glanced down at the makeshift gee she was wearing before looking up at her captor.

"So you say," she replied.

She took in the almost completely black armored figure. What markings that were visible were the evil orange of the Techno Empire's men. Yet, the girl somehow knew this man wasn't one of them. There was something familiar about her captor. His presence seemed to tug at something in her memory.

"What's your name?" her captor asked.

"What if I don't have one?" she answered with a question.

A moment later, she answered in a threating voice, "Max."

_She was falling fast and uncontrollably. As she was falling to the hard, rocky ground, she deployed a stolen chute. It didn't stop the inevitable, but the landing was softened enough that she didn't die. She couldn't say the same for the chute or the ground around her. _

"You really thought you could get away with what you did back there," the captor said.

* * *

_She gave a small panting-laugh, glad to have survived, and look around the barren outlands surrounding her._

* * *

"I did get away with it," she said.

* * *

_She then looked down at her landing spot: it looked like the ones she had seen in cartoons. But she couldn't stay, she was in danger, she had a mission, she had to leave. So, she ran toward the nearest clearing._

* * *

"Doesn't look like it to me," her captor said.

* * *

_She kept running. Mentally, she cursed her luck as she noticed a huge crack coming up. No time for anything else, she ran like the wind and jumped, barely making it to the edge of the other side. She pulled herself up and took a few deep breaths before walking onwards through the Outlands. Finally, she came to what seemed like a junkyard of various equipment and vehicles. She finally found a dune crawler that was perfect for what she needed. Using the dagger in her pocket, she fixed the engine and started off again. _

_It was only seconds later that she found herself being chased again by one of Empire's men, though she had no clue why they would be way out here. Activating the thrush boosters, she raced ahead. Her eyes widened when a rise in the land sent the crawler flying through the air for a few seconds. Suddenly, the mystery man activated his own thrush boosters and appeared beside her, then pulled ahead. She cried out as the man threw a pole in her crawler's wheels, causing it to flip over and sending her falling to the ground. She looked up as the man headed towards her, having gotten off his own crawler and activated its headlights. _

_"You're a long way from home, girly," the man said. _

_Determinedly, she pulled her dagger from her pocket. Just as she was about to throw the knife, the mystery man threw a detonator at him that suddenly surrounded her with blue sleeping gas, making her weary. She was barely aware of her weapon being pried from her hand. When she woke up, her hands were bound behind her back with rope. A light suddenly went on and she flinched from the brightness._

* * *

Opening her eyes, she returned to the present.

"You're not afraid?" the man asked.

"No," was the replied.

"You should be," was the response.

"Soooo," her captor said, "Maxy, what made you decide to go rogue?"

"If you think I'm a rogue," she replied as mystery man walked towards her, "then… what's the point in talking?"

"Fine, don't talk," her captor said, pulling a card from her other pocket, "I'll let _you_ show me."

She watched as the man looked at her card with interest and pointed to a picture of Tanning Stables.

"_You_ work here?" The man seemed keenly interested in the fact that the first rogue in five years was a "stable girl/brat."

"Yeah," she said, "but you want to know why I did what I did. It all began there, 'bout three days ago…"

* * *

_It was a normal day at the stables. Max was in the main office fixing the door while standing on an apparently uneven stool._

"_Cody, hold it steady," the fifteen year old girl with messy red hair and work clothes on a wobbly stool asked a small boy with brown hair and similar clothes._

"_Yeah, I am holdin' it steady," he replied as he had on foot on the stool and his hands on a mouse connected to the Stables only computer._

"_No," Max said, "You're online, seeing if your friends are on 'Battleground Smack Down!'" _

_Cody looked up and saw Max staring at him with an angry look in her eyes, causing him to go back to holding the stool steady._

* * *

"It never felt like work to me, mostly because I was doing it with my little brother…

* * *

_"Just be a good little brother and help me for a few more seconds," she said, "I need to fix this door by _tonight_…"_

_As she was talking, Cody noticed a friend had logged on to the game, and let go of the stool to play the game. _

_"… Mr. Tanning has been nagging me about it all week," she continued, "not to mention all the pressure bout Anton Baxter's company trying to take over._

_"Don't you think that Mr. Baxter would be a lot _nicer_ if he had a little brother like _me_?" Cody asked, still playing his game. _

_"WHAO CODYYYYYY," Max screamed as she lost her balance and fell to the floor._

_Rubbing her head, Max snapped, "_Somehow_ I got a feeling that Baxter would be even _less_ happy if he grew up if a no good, pain-in-the-butt lil brother like _you_!"_

_Max glared at the ten year old. Normally, a child would be hurt after hearing a comment like that, but Cody just smiled sheepishly, knowing that he deserved it. Max asked him help for a minute and he just when to play a video game._

"_Well," a familiar voice spoke, "did you get the door fixed?"_

_It was Mr. Tanning, the sibling's boss. He was a forty year old man with black hair and greying temples. The duo like him, he was a good, honest, and generous man._

_"More like the door fixed me," the red head joked._

"_Well, that's enough for today. Out with ya two, go have some fun," Tanning ordered._

_A grin grew on Cody's face and he chased after his sister as she left the office for the stables._

* * *

"Now, I may be just a kid, but I've been on the street long enough to know I got it good. Tanning Stables is a job _and_ a home. Mine and Cody's home; ever since our folks left us on the street, Mr. Tanning was kind enough to give us a place to sleep and me a job. The only thing I enjoyed more than the job, were the rides we'd get into have afterward…

* * *

_She remembered riding on a brown horse through the Forest of Tranquility like it was an hour ago. The sky was clear with only a few clouds and the air was warm and welcoming. She rode the horse hard and had to stop after jumping a fallen log. Looking behind her, she saw Cody doing the same on his grey. Weird, usually he wasn't a very good rider._

_"Huh, not bad Cody, looks like you've have been practicing," his sister complimented. _

_"I've been, so I don't get lost anymore, no thank to you," was his reply._

_"Let's put that to the test," she challenged, kicking the horse into galloping once again. _

_Cody immediately did the same as they raced through the forest._

"_First one back to the stables wins," the boy declared._

_And so, they left the forest and into their village. People jumped out of the way and shook their fists after the two rode by. Cody's horse then decided to be stubborn and threw its rider, knocking him to the ground. _

_"Ok Cody, I'll let you win," she said. _

_She picked up her brother and asked, "Sound good?"_

_"Just warming up," Cody answered. _

_"That's what makes us related Cody-boy," she said, "We don't give up." _

_The sound of several jumbo jets and fighters turned their attention away from a rematch. In the middle was a giant ship. _

_"Greetings people, this is Anton Baxter," a deep voice announced. _

_"That can't be…" Max said._

_"Good," Cody finished._

_"In the name of our great Techno Empire, I now proclaim this town as occupied territory."_

_The huge ship hovered about the city center. Max and Cody, along with a dozen other people, rushed away as a stone was dropped. A huge explosion ripped through the field. Max reached the nearby stables first but her brother wasn't far behind. They both stared up at it._

_"Definitely not good," Cody said._

_There were other villagers now behind them as they watched the guards march through the city like they owned the place, which they pretty much did now._

_"If the ninja were here…" Max started to say. _

_"You mean if the ninja were alive," a man replied. _

_She bit back a retort. Everyone in Ninjago knew about how a mad scientist, Anton Baxter, had created an army of robotic servants designed to do everything the ninja could do and more and even better. But they were heartless abominations; they didn't care if they cause more harm than good, or if they were loyal only to Baxter. After Baxter's "Bax-Bots" came into the picture, the ninja were killed off in one night. However, something in Max's mind and heart told her that this was not true, that there was _no_ way _all_ of the ninja were gone. But _no one_ listens. _

_She watched as Cody walked up to one of the Bots. _

_"Hey you! Get lost!" he yelled._

_"This is our territory now," the bot countered. _

_"But you can't do…" Cody was pushed to the ground by the bot's hand._

_What the bot didn't realize was that Cody had a hoof pick put his sleeve, but Mr. Tanning did._

_"Cody! Don't!" Tanning exclaimed. _

_Cody looked up at the bot who was now staring at him. Cody took a swing and hit the bot in its circuitry, deactivating it. However, one of the People's Militia, men who willingly served Baxter, grabbed the boy by the arm._

_"No more games," the guard said in a gruff tone, "if yer old enough to fight a Bax-Bot, yer old enough to serve in the Militia." _

_Cody looked at the man and shouted, "You don't scare us."_

_Suddenly, terror filled Max as she knew what was about to happen. The guard dragged Cody to another member and gave a silent order to take Cody to the van with other "patriotic volunteers."_

_"CODY! NOOOOOOOO!" she cried out as she watched the boy struggle to get free, holding out his other hand for Max to grab it. _

_But Tanning held her back and she knew why: what the Militia wanted, they got, no matter what._

_"You won't get away with this," she yelled to the man. _

_"Wanna be next, girly?" the guard asked tauntingly. _

_"Max, please, don't this, it won't help anyone," Tanning warned, resting a hand on her shoulder, "There's nothing we can do but pray for Cody's safety." _

_"For now," she muttered, rage and fury filling her mind. _

_There was no way she was going to let them get away with this. This meant only one thing for her: war._

* * *

"You lost your brother, you were angry, but to me, it sounds like it was _your_ own fault for not teaching him otherwise," her captor observed.

"It was the Empire's fault," she said remembering how she had stared out at the rain after Cody's kidnapping, "Before it sent those bots and you goons here, everything was fine. But not anymore, mister! 'Cause now it hit me that I will never see Cody again. So things came to light became clear: I had to do something…

* * *

_She stared determinedly at the sunset in the background, shaded by clouds. Clutching her hand into a fist, she headed for the stable locker room. As she walked, she grabbed a pair of red sweatpants and a hooded sweatshirt. Changing into the suit, her "gi," felt easy and right, like a part of her that she never knew was emerging._

* * *

"You really thought one person could make a difference," his captor said skeptically.

"Why not?" she replied, remembering how right it felt as she changed into her "ninja suit" and fell into ninja mode, "four people already did. The ninja; I decided to take on the identity of one. They saved Ninjago before, so, maybe one of 'them' could do it again…

* * *

_The storm was a perfect cover, considering her red outfit had only a few stealth uses. As she hid behind the guards' tanks, she watched them, and discovered their routine. Seeing them disappear for the hour (who is a wake at two in the morning they must have thought), she ran toward the stone._

"_Whoa!" she yelled as she tripped over her own feet._

_Getting up and brushing some dirt of, she whispered, "Phew, glad nobody saw that!"_

_Finally getting to the stone, she saw that it was no rock at all. It was a Bax-Bot power source, for its orange light glowed from the circuits and mirrors. Now was time for a stand, now was time for revenge. The "ninja" took the metal pipe she had taken with her as a weapon, and proceeded to smash, bash, and stab the stone._

_"Perimeter breach," she heard one of the bots say too late._

_It was ready to fire at the intruder, only to shut down. Their human counterparts started for the power source when they saw all of the bots shut down. They tried to fire at the now running vandal, only to reveal to her that both the bots _AND _the Militia's weapons were rendered useless._

_Max smiled under the hood of her sweatshirt, her work was done for now, Baxter's own followers would finish it for her. It would take weeks, even months to undo the damage she done, not to mention that both the guards and residents alike would spread the rumor of the Red Ninja that destroyed the Empire's precious power source. With any luck, Baxter himself would be there, and his pride would make him dread the idea. But that still meant that she had to get as far away as she humanly could. _

_But not without a few goons of Anton Baxter's, who appeared and started to follow her._

* * *

"The Empire's forces didn't deter you?" her captor asked.

There was almost pride in his voice, but she was too busy feeling pride of her own to detect it.

"They tried," she answered, "but they were losers. I've been roaming the streets long before they came. I knew everything about survival, they didn't. They never had a chance…

* * *

_She pulled her best stunt yet with the amateur guards: jumping sideways, grabbing a light pole and swing around, knocking three guards unconscious. _

_"That was easy," she said. _

_She landed on the ground and admired her handy-work before adding, "And fun."_

* * *

"Doesn't explain how you ended up alone, in the Outlands," her captor said.

* * *

_She uttered a cry of pain as one of the more skilled goons knocked her against the ground._

* * *

"Yeah well, it turns out they weren't _all_ amateurs," she replied.

* * *

_The same soldier who took Cody away walked up to her and just as he was about to stab her, she kicked his head, causing him to drop his knife. Her attacker stared at her fiercely as he threw his helmet away. _

_"Now that was a mistake," he growled, after grabbing another knife, "So you're a ninja. Huh, thought you'd be taller." _

_With a skillful leap, she jumped onto the building she had been leaning against. Luckily for her, she had been cornered between two buildings. She used both of their structures to turn the tides in her favor. Now, she was the one cornering him. _

_Focusing his attention on his opponent, he ran at her. She skillfully avoided his knife attack, only for him to use her prone posture against her. The action resulted in him sitting on her. _

_"What a waste," he taunted._

_The fear of dying from the knife he was about to put in her was enough to make her gather her wits. Stopping his hand, the ninja girl was struggling to keep the blade away from her neck._

_"They usually don't last this long," he said, "Who are you?"_

_"You said it yourself," she replied in a mock man voice. _

_She pushed him off, knocked the knife from his hand and catching the flying dagger._

_"I'm a ninja!" _

_Without a second thought she ran like the wind. There was a fighter jet silently followed her and pulled ahead. She suddenly froze when she found herself at a dead end, dead being the keyword. The spotlight from the jet shined down on her, with an almost blinding effect. _

_"Okay," she said, "This is a problem. I'm dead."_

_"There you are," another guard shouted._

_"Here I am," she replied as two more guards came down from the jet in parachutes. _

_They walked towards her, their blades twinkling. _

_"Game over, ninja," the guards said in unison, "there's no escape." _

_"Not yet," she replied, grinning. _

_Pushing a dumpster at them and ran to a fire escape. After climbing, she jumped between the walls of the buildings. Running on top of the warehouses, she found another dead end, staring at a wood chipper. Behind her back the lead guard was waiting for him. _

_"How long are you going to keep running?" he asked. _

_The sound of the jet from before caught her attention. It was her only hope._

_"Hey, my ride's here," she said, running onto the jet, "Call me."_

_She landed right behind the pilot and silently smacked the pilot on the head with a wrench she found before throwing him back._

_Just then the main guard jumped in and wrestled slightly with the ninja. _

_Before he was about to destroy her, he mocked, "You know, this isn't yours." _

_She stomped on his foot and after more wrestling, he held her to the floor. She flipped and now he was the one on top. _

_"Impressive," he said, "You should work for us. We'd make quite a team."_

_"I don't like your boss," she replied, "So that's a definite no from me." _

_"Sorry," he said, "That's too bad. Well, if ya can't join us, I'll kill ya." _

_She kicked him and the alarms sounding through the jet grew. They narrowly missed crashing into a building. That still didn't stop them from continuing their fight though. Finally, she was kicked through the jet and had to hang on desperately. She threw his knife, destroying one of the engines and sending the pain crashing. Gaining her grip, she pulled herself up and knocked out the guard with the wrench. _

_"That was fun," she said, tossing the wrench aside, "We should do this again." _

_She headed towards the exit door, turn around and joked, "Hope you know how to land this thing."_

_And with that, she began his fall into the Outlands that had led her to where she was now._

* * *

Her captor threw her card and walked towards her again.

"You know this makes you an enemy of the Empire," he said, tossing a dagger to the ground beside her.

"The Empire is the enemy," she replied.

Secretly, she started straining and twisting her hands, working on escaping the rope.

"I see what you're trying to do," his captor said, making her stop straining, "You can dress up like a ninja all you want, but they're still dead."

"That's what people keep saying," she said, returning to her escape attempt.

She stopped it again as the man walked past her.

"Why do you want others to think they're alive?" the captor asked.

"I don't know, because maybe they are or at least one of them is," she replied, letting her feelings on the matter show, "And maybe if others think so too, they'll be braver, think for themselves for once, not sit still for tyrants."

"You really think if they believe the ninjas are alive and it will inspire a revolution?" her captor scoffed.

He remained stoic as she finally broke the ropes.

"I know it will," she hissed.

With that, she grabbed the knife and attacked her captor.

"I won't be intimidated! I won't back down!" she shouted as she wrestled with her captor, "And I don't care how strong or powerful your forces are!"

Suddenly, her captor had her in a chokehold.

"You should," he said, "Your actions have consequences."

She grunted as she was thrown to the floor; trembling, she slowly stood up.

"So does inaction!" she roared, rushing at the man, "or slavery, or love ones gone!"

Her opponent blocked each punch and kick she threw with ease. Suddenly, her opponent once again had her in a bind.

"And nothing I say will stop you?" her opponent asked.

"I will never stop fighting!" she cried.

She prepared herself for the blows of his response. She looked over to the spotlight she had been under only to see it empty and her opponent nowhere to be seen.

_He's behind me,_ she thought, turning around, only to have her opponent's sword whirl and stop right at her neck.

She winced and closed her eyes, opening them when she realized her opponent had no plans to let her die. It felt like he was either playing with her or trying to teach her a lesson.

"Even if it means you'll be killed right now?" her opponent asked.

"If it means others will take up my cause, so be it," she said, determined.

She moved her arm and now had the dagger pressed against her opponent's neck.

"Step aside," she ordered coolly, "Let me go."

"No," her captor replied.

"Then we both die," she said.

Yet, something in her heart was screaming that this was wrong, that she couldn't kill this man. Even if he was evil, that gave her no right to stoop to his level, she was better than that.

"You won't hurt me," her captor said, "You can't. Your plans will fall apart if you do."

He then released her and bowed, as if she passed some sort of twisted test.

"What makes you so sure?" she asked, wondering how the captor seemed so certain.

She was surprised when the sword against her neck was pulled back and placed behind the man's back.

"Because you were right about one thing," the captor said.

The girl watched in awe as the man pulled off his helmet and a familiar face was revealed, a scar running across one the left side of his right eye: "One of us isn't dead."


	2. The Way of Rebellion II

**Hello There! Next chapter. Again, I only own OCs and the main plot. Oh, and just to visualize the voices, here is the OC Heroes cast:**

**Matt Hill (voice of Finn in **_**Storm Hawk**_**) - Ricky**

**Samuel Vincent (Aerrow) – Nate**

**Tara Strong (Scarlet Witch from **_**The Super Hero Squad Show**_**) - Sage**

**Lenore Zann (Kitt Wonn from **_**Dragon Booster**_**) –Max**

**Kathleen Barr (Lance Penn) - Cody**

**Jillian Michaels (voice of kid and teen Lloyd in the original series) - Leo**

**Matt Lanter (**_**Star Wars the Clone War**_**'s Anakin Skywalker) - adult Kai  
**

* * *

Meanwhile, miles away at a shabby wooden orphanage, the young children shouting "Bye Leo" and "Ba-bye" as they waved and looked in sad excitement as their "older brother" Leo and the orphanage mistress Aunty Ursula were out in the front yard discussing Leo's future while walking to the front gate.

"Now hear this," the mean old hag said in a Russian accent, "your tae work in da fish market, ah already talked with Old' Salty. Just go straight till ya get tae da fork-in- da- road, and then turn right."

"What happens if I turn left," the blonde haired fifteen year- old asked.

"Ya lose yer job, which ah set up for ye by da way, then ya starve!" was her response, "ya got that?!"

"Yes Aunty Ursula," Leo answered in a mock innocent tone.

"Ah swear yer nuttin but trouble," the old lady rambled, not noticing that he was mimicking her every move and words, "ah feed ye and ah wash ye, ah give ye clothes and all ya do is make ma life miser…"

She stopped talking and glanced behind, seeing Leo doing the same. This caused her to whack him in the back of his head.

"Ah'll bet ma life savings dat yer folks knew ye were _trouble from da start_!"

"OOooo, you'd bet a whole twelve bucks?" Leo asked.

Looking the boy in his eyes, the woman angrily asked, "How da heck do ye know dat, when ye don't evan have a clue bout yer family or yer own name?!"

"I do have a clue," the teen snapped, holding out a piece of red fabric as she opened the gate, "this!"

"Dat ain't nuttin!" his ex-guardian retorted, and then she grabbed him by the back of his brown coat and threw him into the snow.

Closing the gate, she yelled, "Now git on wit yer life and fer once BE GRATEFUL!"

"I am grateful, "he muttered a few steps away from his old "home" before shouting, "GRATEFUL I NEVER HAVE TO COME HERE AGAIN!"

Leo then proceeded to follow the path until he got to the fork. There, a post with directions to the places, within 100 miles, stood as a silent guide to the future of all those who pass by. And sure enough, the direction to the fish market was there, the place was only five miles away on the right side of the fork.

"Just go straight till ya get tae da fork-in- da- road, and then turn right," the boy mocked.

He was glad to leave that dump. Aunty Ursula was mean and demanding, there were always chores but rarely meals, and he never had a friend his age. Besides, he knew that somehow he had to have family somewhere. Leo was only ten when an older couple found him: ten years old, healthy save for a minor head injury, and fully alert, fed, and dressed, even if his clothes were muddy. The only thing that was wrong with him was an apparent memory loss which, according the doctor the couple brought him to, was due to head trauma. He didn't lose all of his memory though, just the parts about his life, he remember how to walk, clean, talk, read, write, count, do math, all that stuff. So someone _had_ to have raised him, teached him, cared for him, _loved_ him.

_If I turn right, _the boy thought,_ then I'll always be "Leo the Orphaned Fishtail Chopper" or "Leo the Lonely" or "Leo the Unwanted" forever._

He then peered down the left side of the road. There was only one sign for that side:

NINJAGO CITY

100 MILES

_But, _he figured,_ if I got left, I'll be one step closer to finding the things no one has ever told me. I could have my family again, and even if their all gone, then I at least know where I came from._

* * *

Back at the Ninja's hideout, Max was staring at the one person who can help her, the one man who can undo the wrongs of the Techno Empire and return Ninjago to its former glory. She had been hearing stories about his man and others like him for as long as she could remember, even when the Empire banned the mentioning of them. "They are relics of the past, and the future is the only thing that matters" is the motto the Empire uses to expand its borders.

"I... I... I don't believe it!" she gasped, never having been this overjoyed since Mr. Tanning gave her and Cody a home, "you're one of them! A… a… a ninja!"

"_Really?_ I did not know that," the man mused sarcastically.

At that moment, Max felt stupid. Of course he was a ninja; he didn't need to hear that from her.

"Sorry… it's just that… somehow I knew that the Empire didn't destroy _all_ of you. And now… now you're here to help."

"The truth is I didn't come here to help. I came here to _get_ help."

"_You_ need help?" a skeptic Max asked, not understanding.

The older man sighed and motioned her to follow him. Exiting the "interrogation room," they entered what looked like a command center. It was very spacious and had a few high-tech appliances, mainly a large control panel hooked up to an even larger TV screen.

After giving Max time to look around and change from the "Empire Goon" outfit and into a grey ninja suit with red sleeves and markings, the ninja explained, "Here's my problem: I'm the sole survivor of my team, barely. I got _a lot_ of medical problems, and I mean a lot."

Pressing a button on the computer panel and bunch of notes and x-rays were displayed on the large screen. Even though Max wasn't a doctor, she knew poor health when she sees it. She saw broken bones, scars, bruises, and what looked like trapped shrapnel in the ninja's left side. Her host didn't need to explain anything, the images were evidence enough. Seeing Max's new understanding, he pressed the button again and turned off the images.

"So now you see," the man continued, "I'm physically unable to do this on my own. Even if I didn't have all these scars, I still can't do this on my own. Stopping Anton Baxter is a _team_ effort, and that means I need all the help I can get. And that's why I need you."

"Of course, anything," Max agreed, "What do you need me to do?"

* * *

It was nine thirty in the morning when Leo left the orphanage for the rest of his life; now it's five to eight at night. When he finally, he made it to Ninjago City; he was hungry, tired, sore, and bored out of his skull. Apparently a "journey to the past" isn't as exciting and adventurous in real life as it was in moves. Leo figured that he had watched too many soap operas at that shack; finding out who you really are sucked. But, in his heart reminded him that it would be worth it in the end, and he would find and be if his family. The only question was how.

A growling noise in his gut brought Leo to reality. His past would have to wait, first he must eat, and then he needs to sleep. Fortunately when it comes to big cities, cheap restaurants and motels were a bound. Not more than two blocks from the city limits, the lad found a place that fit in with his twenty dollar budget (all children who get kicked out of the orphanage get twenty bucks to start out). One five dollar burger and small soda later, he was off to find a place to crash. Luckily, there was a vacancy sign at a small hotel that looked like the ones old people lived in.

_Well, beggars can't be choosers_, he thought, _I'll only be here for a night. _

He was grateful that the manager let him stay for the night, but not for having to spend ten dollars for it. He hoped that he wouldn't become flat broke too soon, that burger was only enough for the night. After all, he was a teenaged boy, and teenaged boys need to eat, a lot.

Well, that dilemma will have to wait for the morning; his feet hurt, and so does his legs and head, and he was tired. The only other thing teen boys need was sleep, and friends.

* * *

The ninja, named Kai as Max found out, gave her a few days to gather her wits and think things over before making her decision. He even dropped her off at the stables. Thankfully Mr. Tanning believed that Max was in the woods for the past two days, worrying about Cody. Her brother was in danger, and she jumped on the chance to join the "new friend," but he refused her, for now, convinced that she was joining only out of spite and revenge, both of which were not the way of the ninja. That reasoning, she understood and accepted, but why else would anyone join in the fight against a tyrant, other than personal gain of course.

"Max, are you sure, you're o.k.?" Tanning asked, breaking her thoughts.

"Uh, oh," she stammered, realizing that she was brushing the horse in the same place over and over.

"You know, if you're still shaken about the other day, you're more than welcome to take some time off."

"No, I'm o.k., nothing's wrong."

"Max, I know you are a fighter, but even kings need time to rest. Go, take all the time you need, you earned it, and deserved it."

The girl sighed; she knew Mr. Tanning was only trying to help. Help was important, especially after what she pulled. As she suspected, the power source wouldn't be up and running again for six weeks, and whispers were already spreading across the village and its neighbors like wild fire. Most people were worried that it would mean more guard presences, others, mainly the younger generation, were excited, there was a super cool and totally real live ninja residing in Ninjago. Sure, there were many statements that the rumors were not true (which was technically the truth) but they still believed and talked, despite warnings of brutal punishment. Max, on the other hand, was still worried about Cody; she didn't know what was happening to him. Her only hope was that he wouldn't give in to the Militia's heartless ways.

_Hang in there Cody,_ she silently prayed, _I'll find you, I'll get you back and set you free. _

Praying won't save him and the only one that could is too injured to do so. Looking up at the night sky, Max couldn't help but feel defeated and useless. They have been each other's only family since the year Cody was born. She took care of him, protected him, showed him the good in the world; and she was only five at the time. Then, four years later two truly good and wonderful events happened: first, Tanning took them in and gave her a job at full salary, despite her age. The other thing was that fate had given Ninjago four heroes that would protect the people and the land at the cost of their own lives. Their guardianship only lasted a year and a half, after Baxter ended most of them, freedom soon followed.

"No," Max said in a sudden determined mood, "I will not give into self-pity and fear like everyone else."

Looking towards the Militia camp, she sealed her fate with seven words:

"I will free you Cody, I promise."

* * *

Official day one in Ninjago City hadn't gone so well for Leo. After leaving the hotel and getting free bus tokens from an old lady he saved from falling down the stairs, he combed the town for someone who can help him. Unfortunately, it turned out to be no one, well not for what he had.

Private detectives were _pro bono_ and would help for no less than fifty dollars, plus tax; doctors in charge of babies and children couldn't help unless they had a birth certificate or a precise birthday, neither of which Leo had; and child services only helped orphans when they're freshly abandoned. On top of all that, he still only had the five dollars. He wanted to give up.

"Awww, I should have just went to the fish market," he lamented, "at least I could get paid and always have a bite to eat. I mean, it's not like the answer to all my problems is gonna hit me."

The answer may not have hit him, but a flyer did, in the face. Prying it off and examining it, Leo's hope was renewed: it was a job offering for book stacking at a library in a small village. The best part was, no experience was required and the village was in driving distance.

Using his last bus token, he set off. It wasn't an answer, but it was a potential base of operations. Who really knows, for Leo anything is possible.

* * *

**And end chapter 2. Yeah, I know, not as long as the first, but I get writer's block **_**a lot**_**. In the reviews, I give you my permission to hit me with your best shoot, **_**with**_** the condition that you the reviewer do not use a swear word **_**other than**_** "crap" or "hell." Seriously, that is rude and self-demeaning and if I see 1 naughty word other than the exceptions I stated, I will call you out for what you are: a rude potty-mouth!**


	3. The Way of Rebellion III

**Chapter Three, enjoy. I OWN ONLY PLOT AND OCs!**

* * *

This was stupid! Insane! No one in the right mind would even _think_ about doing something like this, but Max was desperate. She had to save her little brother, or at least make sure he was ok. In her "gee" once again, along with a black mask that covered the upper part of her face, she tip-toed her way through the People's Militia's barracks, looking for Cody and anyone else she could rescue.

Thankfully, Baxter hasn't sent any repair parts or engineers to fix the broken "stone," otherwise she would have both Bax-Bots and energy-powered weapon wielding guards to worry about. So far no one suspected there was an intruder on the premises, but there were double the amount of guards. Max was able to damage the power source in forty minutes the first time she played ninja; now it took her that long to sneak _onto_ the training base!

"Well, win or lose," the girl whispered to herself, "this will probably be the first time anyone ever broke _into_ a boot camp."

After seeing the coast was clear, she dashed from her hiding place behind some crates to a mock alley next to a grey building. In her head, if that building wasn't the recruits' sleeping space, then it was a mess hall. Either way, Max's experience with Cody told her he would be there. That kid was like a miniature version of that giant snake-monster that attacked Ninjago City five years ago: he was always hungry!

"Hang on Cody!"

The building was only one story, making the side window four feet off the ground. Sure enough, hopping on the ledge and peering through the open window, she saw the little boy, with one hand in a box of cereal. The elder child smiled, Cody hadn't changed at all. He wore the same clothes, had the same length hair, and the same habits as he did before "volunteering." Suddenly, Max lost her balance and fell in the building with an "OUCH!" and dumb luck that she didn't break any glass.

Hearing the noise, Cody looked up, dropped his cereal box, and stared in awe at what he saw: a ninja shaking himself free from dizziness and standing up. The moonlight in the background hid the mystery ninja's face and made his uniform gleam a crimson red color. Cody had only ever seen ninja in old fairy-tale books, and now there was one right in front of him.

"Hey you!" a commanding officer's voice shouted, returning the boy to reality, "Get to bed! No snacking after…. WAAH!"

The man never finished his command, for the ninja rushed forward, jumped up, and pinned the officer down. It was so cool to Cody, the whole thing happened in a flash! It wasn't cool for the officer though, he had an expression of fear on his mustached face, and Cody thought that the man even wet his pants a little.

"He has a name bub, and it's Cody, not 'hey you,'" the ninja spoke in a male voice, "If you want to talk to someone, learn their names and mind your manners! Try to remember that the next time you speak to a person."

With that, the red-clad hero grabbed the man by his hair and forced his head to hit the floor, knocking out the officer, and turned his attention to Cody. The ninja pulled down his hood, revealing a black mask and a kind face. A smile crept on the boy's mouth; this man was really a ninja!

"That was so cool!" the excited boy cheered, "how did you do that?! Where did you come from?!Who are you?! Are there more of you?! _**DO YOU HAVE A JET PACK!? **_Please say yes bout the jet pack! Oh! What else can you do? Can you do that again? How do you know my name? Did Mr. Tanning send you?! Are you gonna…. "

"I can't answer all those questions little one," The ninja answered in an adult male voice, "but I can tell you that I don't have a jet pack."

"Awww!" Cody complained, "Jet packs were almost as cool as ninjas, even if they make your butt all sweaty."

The ninja smiled at Cody's remark, only a little boy could think about _that_.

Realizing that the ninja was still there, Cody asked, "Did you come to save me?"

"You got."

"Really, you are? Sweet! Oh, I'm Cody by the way. _Buuuuut _you already knew that."

"Yes I do, and I also know that your sister misses you very much and wants nothing more or less than to have you back."

"Rea… really? She does?"

The ninja nodded.

Cody was surprised, "Max misses _me_? But, she always talked about how she gave up her childhood to take care of me and yells bout how I'm a…."

"That last part was her either her anger talkin' or just teasing," The ninja interrupted, kneeling on one leg and putting his hands on the boy's shoulders, "And, she told you that story to show you how much she cares about you. She did what _no other person_ in her position had ever done, and that's just the start."

"Well, what's the rest?" Cody asked in a touched voice.

The ninja looked deeply into the boy's eyes before whispering: "When I return you home, she will show you herself."

Then, embracing the boy, the ninja added, "I promise."

* * *

It was sunset when Leo arrived at his destination. After getting off the bus, he looked left and right, there was nothing there except for an old, run down forge in an abandoned village in the middle of nowhere. It didn't look anything like a library. Just as the lad was about to yell a string of curses, more buses came his way to unload their cargo.

The first bus let off a young girl around Leo's age with light brown hair in a ponytail and what looked like a prep-school uniform (white blouse and matching black skirt, stockings, and shoes). She seemed very nice and very smart, both in dress and in intelligence, but also very confused and lost.

Next, from the second bus, came another fifteen year-old, this time a young man with short black hair, thick brown glasses, and a blue polo shirt tucked into brown pants. Like the girl, the new boy seemed very smart, maybe even smarter, and equally confused by the destination.

Bus number three literally threw out its last occupant. Another boy of the other's ages; but unlike the other two boys, this one had spiky brown hair, a cut next to his right eye, and an outfit consisting of a black t-shirt and denim jeans. He may be as confused as the other three were, but looked like he had more brawn than brains.

"AND STAY OUT!" the last bus driver shouted as he closed the doors and drove off like a mad man.

The last traveler got up, brushed the dirt off his arms, and looked around before whining, "Awww man! I sign up to see a movie festival and end up in Stinks-Vil! What's up with that, I mean_ seriously_… not…cool!"

"Ok, I don't know who any of you are," the glasses-wearing boy spoke up, "but I was told there would be a science convention here" (directing his attention to the girl) "you?"

"I thought I heard that an archaeology dig was nearby and I wanted to see if I could help," the girl replied, and then she turned to Leo and questioned, "Why did you come?"

"I got a flyer that stated a job opening at this address," Leo groaned, "I guess we were all duped."

All four teens simultaneously groaned at the thought of being promised one thing, only to end up lost. How could anything get worse now?

* * *

Max quietly hurried through the shadows, trying her best not to drop Cody. She had decided earlier to not let Cody know it was her until they were both as far and safe from the Empire as possible. Somehow she managed to pull off her "man-voice" and convince Cody that she was older and male. All he needed to know right now was that he was safe and soon to be removed from this awful place. But first, he decided to tell "the ninja" about where the other kidnapped recruits were.

"Are you sure this is the place?" Max asked in her man-voice.

"Yep, it's the place."

Opening the door, several people, both children and adults, woke-up to the added moonlight. After their eyes adjusted, they were relieved to see a red ninja beckoning them out and away from the camp. Everyone followed as quickly and quietly as they could. When someone stumbled, the ninja or one of the adults would turn back and help that person up. Some of the adults were even carrying children themselves. Avoiding the guards, Max stopped behind a dumpster and put Cody down.

Turning to the adults, she whispered in her man-voice, "take a left from here and you'll see a hole in the fence, get everyone through there and go to the old cemetery in the forest."

"But what if one of the guards sees us," a woman quietly panicked, "we'll get caught or worse killed!"

"I'll draw their attention," the ninja assured, "don't worry; all of you will be fine."

"Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU," a man whispered, holding one of Max's hands with both of his, "how could any of us ever repay you?"

Max thought long and hard. At first, all she wanted from this experience was justice, revenge, and for others to stand up and fight. But now something in her had changed, true she still hated the Empire and wanted to protect Cody, but now she saw that there was more to being a hero than she previously thought. Even if the Techno Empire were to fall the next day, Ninjago will always be in danger, if not from mad men and robots, then from monsters, thieves, the undead, the Serpentine, or something even worse. Being a hero didn't mean defeating evil, it meant protecting people.

"No repayment needed," she answered, "just be careful."

With that, she ran to the center of the camp, while the rest followed her instructions. Finding a guard wasn't tough; the place was practically crawling with Militia Men. Once she found one guard, she purposely threw him against some barrels of motor oil, spilling its contents.

"Hey Look! A ninja!" Max shouted, grabbing the attention of the surrounding guards, "LET'S GET HIM!"

Nearby guards' looks of surprise turned to anger and they rushed toward the intruder. Max ran back to the mess hall. Most of the guards who tried to follow slipped on the oil while the remainders crossed by stepping on their downed comrades. The ninja zigged and zagged until she found the mess hall. Barricading the doors and windows with tables and chairs, she tensed up into a fighting pose. If she was to go down, then she was going down with a fight.

BOOM! BOOM! Those were the sounds of the People's Militia trying to break the door down. Then came the sounds of a mob ruckus accompanied by various other sounds that sounded like: a girly scream, a cat screech, pots and pan clambering, an elephant call, a jalopy horn, metal hitting metal, a chainsaw, a bomb dropping, a monster truck in use, and a hog squeal. Moving the table from the doors, Max was surprised by what she saw: the rescued recruits standing over beaten up guards!

"I told you to leave," Max said.

"No without you," the scared woman from earlier replied.

Many "yeah" s and "you bet" s spoke up as well.

"Just go," the ninja ordered, "I'll be fine."

"But we won't," Cody countered.

Max smiled for the third time that day. She really was making a difference, and it felt good, like she was meant to be a ninja.

"Ok," she answered, "everyone, follow me but be careful. We're not out of the fire yet."

Off they went, pushing and fighting their way to the exit. It wasn't easy, but they didn't have any other choice. Finally they reached the fence; some went through the hole, while others hopped the fence. Once on the other side, they ran to the Forest with the Militia hot on their tails. Max just waved her arms to grab the guards' attention and ran towards the outskirts. And unknown to her, Cody followed.

* * *

**And scene. HEY WORLD, HOW DO YOU LIKE MY STORY NOW! One more chapter and then I'll start making "episodes." And, by the way, please tell me what you think about the funny parts.**


	4. The way of Rebellion IV

**Final introduction chapter. Next comes the "episodes." Enjoy and review. Oh, and FYI, first: I added a few allusions of the original series season 2 as well as things from other LEGO-verses. Second: the other ninja **_**will**_** appear in the story, but **_**for now**_** they're only seen in flashbacks and on film. Third: I OWN ONLY PLOT AND OCs!**

* * *

Bored out their skulls and with no cell phone reception, the four tricked off teens decide to explore the abandoned village and get to know each other. Leo introduced himself to the girl, glasses boy, and sk8tr boy; they in turn revealed their names: Sage Hawthorn, Nate Storm, and Ricky Taylor. Leo also learned their histories as well as.

Sage was a student at the A. FOL Academy of Future Scientists and Explorers and she lived with her mother Rose who also had a seventeen year old daughter named Daisy and a thirteen one named Violet (apparently, it was a Hawthorn tradition to name the female family members after plants). She loved to read, and had read almost every book on nearly every topic one could think of. Her favorite book was an encyclopedia of myths and legends.

Ricky's parent were divorced and got remarried to different people, giving him a step-mother and step-father. He was into movies, skateboarding, surfing, snowboarding, and partying. And, as a side note, his grandfather was a martial arts sensei who used to train action-hero movie stars such as Dareth Sham, the star of Kung-Fu parodies such as _Oh Dojo You Didn't!_, _Sumo Uh-Oh!_, and _Ninja Gonna Get Cha!_, to name a few.

Nate lived with his uncle while his parents were away at work. He had a twin brother named Boz who was enrolled in the Darkley's School for Great Student. As it turns out, while Nate was into building and fixing gadgets and gizmos, Boz was into learning about and caring for wildlife. And that he apparently had an _extremely_ good reason to avoid any "imperial entanglements," as he called them.

"Wait," Ricky laughed, putting his hand out to say "stop," "you're saying that _you_ were the one responsible for that Bax-Bot incident last week?"

"Yes I was," Nate answered proudly.

"OK, two questions," Leo intervened, "First, what Bax-Bot incident?"

"The one where the bots did the chicken dance, then mimicked every motion Baxter made, Baxter 'making a joke' when someone asked 'how do they smell,' and then played a _really_ funny short involving Baxter, the People's Militia, and the ninja," Sage answered, holding back a giggle.

"Alright, second question: what's a Bax-bot?"

"They're robots created by Anton Baxter and are designed to obey him," Nate explained.

"Yeah, well I want proof that you did that," Ricky interrupted.

Nate pulled out a computer from his satchel, typed something, and showed everyone the monitor. On the screen there were three windows: one had some sort of code that made different commands including "shake lower torso", the next had a sound clip that said "awful, trust me, I built them" in Baxter's voice, and the other had the incriminating video:

* * *

_Anton Baxter was speaking to the Militia, explaining the importance of being observant._

"_Now, it's imperative that you be constantly alert…" Baxter was saying before a lower ranking guard said "Sir!"_

"…_. And focused…."_

"_Sir!"_

"…_. And on task at all…"_

"_Sir!"_

"_WHAT!" Anton yelled at the interrupting guard, "WHAT IN THE NAME OF NINJAGO IS SO MUCH MORE IMPORTANT THAN MY LECTURES!"_

"_Sir! THE NINJAS ARE HERE!" the guard answered, pointing to four men wearing white, blue, red, and black suits and flirting with Baxter's receptionist._

"_Well, WHAT ARE YOU IDIOTS WAITING FOR!? GET THEM!" Baxter ordered and the chase began, Baxter himself wanted to join but found his shoes tied together, fell flat on his face, and spent the rest of the film trying to untie them._

_While the _Benny Hill theme music_ was playing along with cartoon show sound effects, the guards chased the ninja back and forth three times before; somehow, on the fourth round the ninja were _chasing_ the guards! After realizing this, the ninja scattered and the guards tried to follow. The guards searched the place and were forced to ask a man reading a newspaper for directions; little did they know it was the blue ninja wearing a gag mustache-glasses mask. _

_Continuing their search, the guards failed to notice the black ninja peeling a banana and throwing the peel right in front of them, which was until the lead guard slipped and fell backwards, causing a domino effect. A stray guard was searching among a marching band for the ninja, only for the white one to bang two large symbols together, with the guard's head in between them. _

_Two of the guards chased the red ninja through a series of hallway doors; all three of them somehow exited a different door than where they entered. Finally, free of his shoe laces, Baxter tackled the ninja, wrestling them until they were unmasked. But, there was yet another problem: all four ninja looked _exactly_ like Anton Baxter, causing the guards to do a double-take._

"_Well, what are you waiting for?" Baxter asked angrily, "Shoot them!"_

"_No, shoot them," another Baxter ordered._

_The Baxters kept shouting and ranting until they simultaneously pointed at each other and shouted, "SHOOT HIM!"_

_The guards looked at each other, shrugged their shoulders and fired at the five Baxters. And the film ended._

* * *

The four teens laughed so hard, Ricky was bending over and holding his sides, Leo and Nate were rolling on the ground, and Sage was fighting off her hiccups. Leo had never seen something so fun in five years, this was the prank to top all pranks, and the orphan let Nate know it.

"Thank you for the appreciations, guys and Sage," Nate responded, finally freed from his laugh fest, "but, seriously, _don't tell anybody_. I don't want to get my uncle, brother, and parents in trouble."

"Hey, were you also the ninja who broke the power stone in the nearby village four days ago?" Sage asked.

"No, I wasn't, I was in Rockwell when that happened."

* * *

Max never ran so far, so fast, so much in her entire life. Her leg muscles burned, her heart pounded, and her lungs felt like they were about to explode. But the guards had their attention on her and not the escapees and that was what mattered. Now all she had to do was get them to the abandoned village in the mountains and escape from them as well.

The village was her village's predecessor, but after some undead bikers controlled by an unknown man named Gormagon (or something like that) attacked five years earlier, the citizens and their families left to settle some new villages. Fortunately for Max, she had been there several times before, scavenging for leftover wares to sell for food money, so she knew the place inside and out, including the secret storage place in the old blacksmith shop.

Her only hope was that she would escape, find Cody, and take him somewhere they will never be found. Maybe Kai would understand and allow them to stay in his base as Tanning had done, maybe she and Cody can find shelter in difficult terrain like the Mountain of a Thousand Steps, or maybe they could relocate to another village.

Where ever they would go, Max knew it still meant running away, but Cody was her number one priority, she was not going to lose him ever again. Let the rest of the world take back freedom, the girl-ninja lit the fuse and the rest was up to the people. Even if the people shrunk away, Baxter was still only human; he was not going to live forever. All Max had to do was wait.

* * *

"Hey! I found something!" shouted Ricky.

He then popped out of the cellar he was rummaging through, carrying a basket of uncooked rice, as Sage had predicted.

The teens were starting to get hungry and Sage figured that since there were a lot of scattered tools used to plant, harvest, and cook rice, then it meant that the major resource for the village was rice, and rice was food. However, Nate was worried that the rice was expired, since none of them knew how long the village was unoccupied. And none of them knew how to cook rice.

"It's just grain," Leo commented, "can't we just eat it raw?"

"Maybe," Nate responded, "but it wouldn't taste very good. And it could hurt our teeth."

""WE'RE STUCK IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE AND YOU'RE WORRIED ABOUT _OUR TEETH_?!"

Nate, Leo, and Sage stared with a blank look at Ricky after hearing his comment. He was right about the being stuck part, but they all need to eat and that's no possible without teeth. Besides, what he said was kind of weird, the weirdest thing that happened since they all got to the village. Just as the quartet thought nothing could get any weirder or worse, someone or something in red ran by and knocked into Ricky.

"HEY! WHAT THE HECK!?" he yelled, rubbing his head.

Then he and the others gasped at their "new friend." A ninja, about Sage's height (shorter than Ricky and Leo but taller than Nate), in a red sweat suit and black face mask staring back at them; Leo approached the figure first, something about this person triggered a lost memory: a still flashback of the hooded face of a different red ninja who appeared to have been saving a younger Leo from a fiery inferno.

"Who… who are you?" he asked, looking at this ninja directly in the eye.

"Run!" the ninja shouted, pointing behind the four.

Just then, five Militia guards came charging in.

Sage, Nate, Leo, and Ricky did as they were told as sounds of a struggle were heard behind them. That was until three of them hid inside the old blacksmith shop while Leo doubled back and returned to the ninja. Leo never had a memory returned to him before, and now, of all times, he got one back. In his head, he felt that if he had a chance to talk to and get to know this mystery person then more memories back. Besides, the person was outnumbered; he couldn't let those men hurt the ninja.

"Dude! Are you insane?!" Ricky shouted at the orphan, "You're gonna get killed!"

"We have to help," Nate said as he ran after Leo, "those guards could do some serious damage to both Leo and the ninja-person."

"Not you too!" Ricky shirked.

"Ricky, be serious!" Sage scolded, "We're talking about two lives in danger. We can't just let them die, no matter what."

Compassion was a trait that Sage held in the highest regard. It is compassion that binds people and nations; it is compassion that separated man from beasts and monsters; and it is compassion that brings out the best in people. Sage didn't want to be a hero; she only wanted to do the right thing. So, she too, ran after Leo.

Ricky faceplamed and then made an annoyed face while stretching his arms downward and clenching his fists. This was insane: first he and the other three teens get tricked into come to Spooks-Vil, then they meet a ninja who brought some trouble, and now the other three, including the brainiac Nate and the know-it-all Sage, lost all their senses and are going to die. What's up with that? Then Ricky's stomach started growling; guilt was getting the best of him.

* * *

Max was in a real jam this time. Her nemesis, Cody's kidnapper, had her pinning herself against a wall, his four friends blocking her escape. This was it, the end of the line, she was never going to see Cody ever again, all her work to start a revolution was undone, and Baxter had won.

"Got cha _ninja_," the lead guard sneered as the others laughed, "What's yer plan now?"

The girl turned her head against the wall and closed her eyes as shut as she could. It wasn't her best idea to date, but it was all she could do. It was going to take a miracle to get her out of _this_ mess. Then suddenly, a guard on her far right was knocked to the ground, someone had tackled him. A _bong_ sound was heard and the far left guard's eyes rolled into their sockets as the man passed out. A third guard got knocked out as well. Max opened her eyes and saw three of the four teens she warned: the blonde boy, the girl (who now had a frying pan in her hand), and the geeky kid (who somehow got a hold of some nun-chucks).

"Bulk!" the lead guard addressed his remaining underling, "Get those brats!"

"On it Sir!" Bulk responded.

He then moved towards the ninja and three teens, who were all in their own battle positions, but before he could snatch one, a mock hawk cry was heard and the s8tr boy flew-kicked the man down. The battle was once again five verses one, but this time, the odds was in Max's favor.

"Got cha _crook_," Max said, repeating the words the opponent spoke not three minutes ago, "What's your plan now?"

The lead guard looked around angrily until something caught his eye: Cody hiding behind some crates. The man backed away from his larger prey slowly and then quickly grabbed the boy and held him as a human shield and sneered. Max froze in place and her eyes widened; Cody was following her the whole time? The man's sneer changed into fear and, while still holding the boy ran screaming at the top of his lungs. Loud and diverse roars behind the five teens soon explained why, for behind the "rebels" was the true red ninja on top of a large, four-headed dragon.

"WHOA!" Ricky shouted.

"Amazing," Sage whispered.

"I don't believe," Nate gasped.

Leo just stared at the new ninja while Max stared in the direction the man and Cody went. She failed her little brother, she promised to save him and bring him home but she didn't. Her heart hurt more now than it did when her parents abandoned her and Cody ten years ago. Max felt a hand rest on her shoulder, looking up she saw the real red ninja, unmasked, looking back at her with understanding eyes, as if he knew what she was going through.

Taking off her hood and her mask, Max said, "I thought you were too injured to fight."

"I can hold my own every once in a while," Kai explained, "besides, I got friends. And apparently, so do you."

Turning the girl around, her rescuers were shocked by what they saw.

"You're a chick?" Ricky deadpanned, only to receive a slap on the back of the head from Sage.

"I can't believe the ninja are back," Nate said in awe.

"They are now," the older man said with a peculiar idea in his voice.

* * *

Not taking any chance on what the guards saw, Kai took the five teens to his hideout in the Caves of Despair. Max had been here before when the man first found her, but now it seemed that she was going to be here a while, too long for her taste.

"But they have Cody!" Max argued, "I have to get him back, I have to stop them!"

"And you will, all of you will," Kai stated.

"Wait, what do you mean 'all of you'?" Ricky asked in a suspicious tone.

"But sir," Sage reminded, "we're teenagers not warriors."

"And I'm in enough trouble already," Nate nervously admitted.

"We're really gonna be ninjas?" Leo asked.

Kai nodded.

"So what does it take?" Max demanded.

"Guts, commitment, training, blood, sweat," the man answered, "and everything you got."

The red head looked behind her at the other four. Leo and Nate nodded, Sage smiled, and Ricky shrugged his shoulders. They got this far into the point of no return; they might as well see where destiny takes them.

"You in?" Kai asked, crossing his arms.

"Bring it," Max answered for everyone.

"I always did wanted adventure," Leo mused to himself.

* * *

**DA-Da-Da-DA! And now the "new series" can begin! Will Max ever save her brother? What challenges will the new ninjas have to face? Will Leo discover the truth about his pass? What running-gag will occur in future chapters? Why am I asking you this? Review and stay tuned!**


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